News from Indiewire

There’s a reason why there’s more TV than ever: networks are spending boatloads of money.

In a shocking overview from Variety’s Cynthia Littleton and Maureen Ryan, series of all kinds are enjoying higher budgets than ever before, including recent Emmy nomination powerhouses “Stranger Things,” “Westworld,” and “The Crown.”

As expected, Netflix isn’t skimping on their per-episode price tags. But it’s not just their lavish period pieces that are getting surprising amounts of funding. The report also cites a previously speculated $5 million-an-episode price for “13 Reasons Why.”

Littleton and Ryan also note that the popularity of “Stranger Things” got the show an overall per-episode cost bump from $6 million to $8 million for the series’ upcoming Season 2. When placed against other TV behemoths like “Game of Thrones,” it seems like the cost of doing business.
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For those looking for proof of what fandom can achieve, behold: The script for the “‘Sense8 Special,” which will wrap up the fan favorite Netflix drama following its abrupt cancelation this spring, physically exists!

While initially canceled following the release of Season 2, fan outcry led Netflix to reverse that decision and produce a two-hour finale, and as seen in the Instagram photo above from star Miguel Angel Silvestre (who plays no-longer-closeted movie star Lito on the show), watermarked scripts have been distributed to the actors.

Beyond proof-of-life, the cover page reveals a number of important details about the upcoming production. For one thing, Lana J. Wachowski (the first time she’s used the letter J with her name?) is credited with writing the script alongside David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon. Both men are novelists, with Mitchell having a pre-established connection to the Wachowski tribe: He wrote the original novel “Cloud Atlas,
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Told with with the gentle touch of a partner taking your arm on an afternoon stroll, Ritesh Batra’s “Our Souls at Night” is a wise and wistful drama about life after death; regardless of how old you are, this is the kind of movie that your parents would like. It begins with the folksy twang of a guitar and shots of streetlights blinking awake as night falls on a small Colorado town. A widower named Louis Waters (Robert Redford) sits alone in the kitchen of a house that was clearly meant for two. This is the only sort of night that he has. At least, until it isn’t. There’s someone at the door — his neighbor, Addie Moore (Jane Fonda), also on her own — and she wants to know if Louis might be interested in sleeping with her. Literally sleeping with her. It’s not about sex, it
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The project is in the early stages of development, so there’s no word on what part of Roosevelt’s life the movie will tackle. Material that could certainly be mined for a film could be his years as a Rough Rider during the Spanish-American War, as well as
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This Friday will see the release of a horror film called “Flatliners,” a movie title that should be instantly familiar to anyone who spent the ’90s trawling the shelves of their local video store in search of something — anything — to watch that weekend. Perhaps best remembered as the crusty VHS that was always sandwiched between “The Fisher King” and “Fried Green Tomatoes,” the original “Flatliners” was an asinine but atmospheric psychological horror thing that starred Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, and Billy Baldwin as foolhardy med students who start experimenting with life after death. Nothing goes wrong and they all live happily ever after.

You have to give it up to Mark Duplass. Not every pioneering indie director is willing to go in front of the camera in order to deliver a freak-you-the-hell-out performance. Duplass mastered the art of the weirdo in Patrick Brice’s “Creep,” and the film turned out to be such an indie horror favorite on Netflix that we’re getting a sequel just in time for Halloween.

“Appropriate Behavior” breakout Desiree Akhavan joins the fun this time as a video artist whose primary focus is creating intimacy with lonely men. She answers an online ad for “video work” that has been posted by Duplass’ Josef, and the two spend the day together as the artist attempts to create a truly shocking piece of art. Let’s just say her project goes terribly wrong.

The worst kept secret in Hollywood was finally revealed when Warner Brothers confirmed “It: Chapter Two” was set for release on September 6, 2019, nearly two years to the day “It: Chapter One” opened and became a box office sensation. The sequel was a no-brainer given the first movie’s popularity with audiences, but Warner Bros. played the waiting game before setting the sequel for 2019.

“Chapter One” is currently the highest grossing horror film ever in the U.S. with over $260 million at the domestic box office, which only puts a lot more pressure on the sequel to succeed. “Chapter Two” will pick up with the Losers’ Club as adults as they are forced to return to Derry to defeat Pennywise once and for all. Rumors are already swirling about potential casting choices and novel changes, and director Andy Muschietti has teased a darker vision for the next installment.

In recognition of the astounding work of women in television since its inception, The Paley Center for Media will host a historic, one-of-a-kind event: “The Paley Honors in Hollywood: A Gala Celebrating Women in Television,” an event which will recognize the outstanding achievements have made across all the different fields within the medium — not just in comedy, variety, and drama, but also in music, news, talk, and sports.

The first reactions are pouring in from critics who have seen “Blade Runner 2049,” and to call them “great” would be a massive understatement. Words like “masterpiece” are being thrown around by more than one critic when talking about Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated sequel, which means you’ll probably want to order tickets right now to what is shaping up to be the most acclaimed blockbuster of the fall.

Usually, it’s a bit unrealistic to piece together what a comedy show is after only one episode. Especially in the world of late night, each successive half-hour brings host, writers, and assorted crew alike a chance to really drill down on a show’s strengths.

But “The Opposition,” the latest 11:30 slot-holder on Comedy Central, took its first episode as a chance to deliver what seemed like an effective mission statement for what this conspiracy-adjacent satire would be going forward. Not only did host Jordan Klepper take the opportunity to define some of the edges of this particular brand of late-night blowhard, he introduced the various members of his staff and doubled down on the logical loopholes that will theoretically provide most of the laughs as the show progresses.

In doing so, the show might not be the show at its funniest, but it did indirectly touch on the
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It’s never easy to lose a job, especially a nice sitcom gig, but when Erinn Hayes was let go from “Kevin Can Wait” at the end of Season 1, she handled it with relative grace on Twitter:

True, I've been let go from the show. Very sad, I had a great experience season 1. Thank you for all the support from our wonderful fans. https://t.co/HfYKzVuSnT

— erinn hayes (@hayeslady) June 3, 2017

Since then, especially following the reveal that the character of Donna would be killed off to make way for the re-introduction of Leah Remini, Hayes has been relatively quiet about “Kevin Can Wait” in every way except one: Her use of the “like” button.

Like many people on Twitter, Hayes’s feed these days is largely dominated by political discussion and imploring followers to help disaster victims. But over the last 24 hours, she’s also been actively liking Tweets
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When lauded actor, director, and playwright Sam Shepard passed away earlier this year, he left behind a rich and varied legacy, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of pilot Chuck Yeager in “The Right Stuff,” forty-four plays, as well as several books, including short stories, essays, and memoirs, and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play “Buried Child.” He also left behind at least one new feature, Camille Thomas’s feature debut, “Never Here.”

The film follows Mireille Enos as Miranda, an installation artist whose latest project involves photographing strangers. It’s an intriguing premise, but one made even more compelling by Miranda’s own complex life — the kind that few people would want documented, oddly enough — including a secret love affair that leads to Miranda posing as a witness to save her man. Along the way, she becomes entangled in some very unexpected consequences,
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Editor’s note: The last few weeks have seen a series of scandals overtake the film community, starting with the allegations of sexual assault against the Cinefamily in L.A. and followed by a resurgence of problems involving sexual assault at the Alamo Drafthouse’s Fantastic Fest. Former Cinefamily staffer Suki-Rose Simakis attended Fantastic Fest this year and participated in one of its marquee events, so we asked her to share these thoughts on her experiences.

As a former employee of The Cinefamily (2008-2012), the past month has been emotionally draining, scary, and painful. When the information surfaced about the Drafthouse, I felt like I’d been kicked in the teeth, and attending Fantastic Fest took on the possibility of being incredibly scary. I remain hurt by what occurred, especially within the context of what we are dealing with at home in L.A.

Let the final game begin. HBO has confirmed the final batch of directors set for “Game of Thrones” Season 8, and they include creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss and two gentlemen responsible for some of the most epic hours in the show’s history: Miguel Sapochnik and David Nutter. Benioff and Weiss will be behind the camera for the series finale, while Sapochnik and Nutter will split the remaining five episodes. Rumor has it Sapochnik could be directing three, with Nutter taking two. Season 8 will be the fourth season in a row not to feature a female director.

Sapochnik’s return to the series should delight fans. The director won an Emmy and a DGA Award for “Battle of the Bastards,” often cited as one of the best hours of “Game of Thrones” ever. He was also responsible for another classic episode,
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George R.R. Martin believes one of the five “Game of Thrones” spinoffs in development could air by 2019, assuming everything goes according to plan. “We could possibly see two or even three make it to the pilot stage, with one series emerging on air in 2019 or 2020… and the others maybe later, if they come out as well as we all hope,” wrote Martin of the five successor show currently in development at HBO.

The novelist sounded off about the various prequels on his personal Facebook page, singing the praises of series co-executive producer Bryan Cogman, who will pen the fifth spinoff. Cogman has been with the series wince season one, beginning as an assistant and working his way up from “staff writer, to story editor, to co-producer and producer and supervising producer,” wrote Marrin. “If
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Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Tuesday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best show currently on TV?” can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: Who is the best TV director? Why? (For old, current or upcoming shows.)

Marisa Roffman (@marisaroffman), TV Guide Magazine

The recent Emmy Awards was a good reminder of just how great television directors are right now. It was the best overall crop we’ve had in years, and one of the few categories where it felt like it could have gone any way.

Lena Dunham has never been one to follow rules. That includes the Goldwater Rule, which dissuades mental health professionals from diagnosing public figures if they have never treated them in person. Luckily, the “Girls” creator has no such obligation, and the outspoken mental health advocate tweeted yesterday: “Not only is [Donald Trump] a racist, but he’s a racist with untreated mental illness. So under diff[erent] circumstances, he’s Dylann Roof.” The comment came in response to a thread by “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” writer Travon Free urging journalists to call out Trump’s blatant racism.

Dunham was referring to the convicted murderer responsible for the 2015 mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Easily one of the most anticipated titles of next year is “Annihilation,” which marks the return of “Ex Machina” writer-director Alex Garland. Entertainment Weekly has debuted the first official image from the science-fiction drama, which finds Natalie Portman’s character facing down the mouth of a very large mutated alligator. Portman plays a scientist named Lana, who Garlands explains “finds a very strange, dream-like, surrealist landscape, and goes deeper and deeper into that world, and also into that mindset.”

There’s a blunt charm to the exposition dump throughout “Ghosted’s” 22-minute pilot that probably shouldn’t come across. Characters relentlessly badger each other for information. Introductions are made without set-up, and the inexplicable is explained in just a few words. So much emotional backstory is spat out so quickly that it’s hard to see the first episode as anything more than set up. But hey, it’s still fun. Why? For the reasons you already know — all two of them.

Tom Gormican’s (“That Awkward Moment”) new series about an ex-cop and a former professor brought together to investigate paranormal activity lets its main draws shine through in the first episode, as Adam Scott and Craig Robinson prove to be just the pair of gumshoes needed to save the show from itself. Even with welcome comparisons to a comedic “X-Files,” the “Ghosted” pilot relies completely on the
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“Blade Runner 2049” finally arrives in theaters next weekend with Oscar winner Jared Leto starring as the villainous Niander Wallace, but it turns out the actor wasn’t exactly director Denis Villeneuve’s first choice for the antagonistic role. In a new interview with Metro, Villeneuve reveals that he originally wanted David Bowie to play the film’s main villain before the world learned of his passing and cancer diagnosis.

“Our first thought [for the character] had been David Bowie, who had influenced ‘Blade Runner’ in many ways,” Villeneuve said. “When we learned the sad news, we looked around for someone like that.” The director’s quest for an actor with a similar rock star vibe as Bowie led him to Leto, who had just wrapped production as the Joker on “Suicide Squad.”
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